Wednesday, August 14, 2013

Journey to Everest Base Camp: Meet the Sherpas

Exhilarating, challenging and enthralling: a trek to Everest Base Camp is everything that people say it will be - and more. To follow the route towards the legendary base camp of the world's tallest and most famous mountain is an experience in a league of its own, not just for the magnificent landscape and the journey's incredible legacy, but also because it is a chance to meet the Sherpa people in their own homeland, and learn directly from them about their history and culture. Passing through Sherpa villages and enjoying their hospitality in the tea houses along the route, trekkers will have ample opportunity to talk to those who live here, and share in their traditions. Those who have learned something of the region before travelling are likely to appreciate it all the better, so read on for some background and local context.

History

For those making the journey to Everest Base Camp, it can be a humbling thought that this region has been travelled through and settled in for hundreds of years before today's trekking routes were established. The origins of the Sherpa people and how they came to live in the region are recorded in local oral history, with stories telling how four groups of nomads - who would eventually become the four most prominent Sherpa clans - travelled into the region from the East, probably originating in Eastern Tibet. There are a number of reasons suggested for the migration, including following salt trade routes, and searching for a legendary Beyul, or mystical hidden valley. Establishing themselves in the Khumbu region, they became known for their expert knowledge of the mountains, and this expertise was greatly valued by visitors who dreamed of climbing Everest. It was a Sherpa man, Tenzing Norgay, who first summited the great mountain alongside Sir Edmund Hillary; many of the Sherpas that trekkers may meet on the way to Everest Base Camp are rightfully proud of this legacy.

Religion

Sharing many cultural and linguistic roots with Tibet, Nepal's Sherpas practise a form of Tibetan Buddhism known as Nyingmapa, or the Red Hat sect. This branch of the religion was founded by a religious leader called Padmasambhava in the 8th century, with many stories telling of how he journeyed into the mountains and fought with resident demons, quelling them so that they became helpful spirits. Before the arrival of Buddhism, people in this area were adherents of the Bon religion, and worshipped a pantheon of local deities; today, Nyingmapa incorporates ancient traditions that may be adapted from the Bon religion, including shamanistic practices and belief in spirits. With religious beliefs and customs initially spreading by oral tradition, they are now taught and studied in mountain monasteries, some of which can be visited en route to Everest Base Camp.

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